Container and its associated brush for applying mascara

ABSTRACT

A container and a related brush for applying mascara are disclosed. A sleeve (3) with a non-circular opening (4) is freely rotatably mounted in the neck (2) of the container (1), and a brush (8) with a non-circular cross-section matching the shape of the opening (4) is supported by a rod (6) that also has a non-circular cross-section and is shaped to fit said opening (4). The rod is attached to a cap (5) thus enabling the brush (8) to be inserted into the neck (2) of the container (1) and withdrawn therefrom in such a way that excess mascara is effectively scraped off the brush (8) at the opening (4) of the sleeve (3). Mascara may thus be applied accurately to the eyelashes alone.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention has essentially as its subject a container and abrush associated with this container for permitting in particular theapplication of mascara onto the eyelashes.

BACKGROUND ART

The containers for mascara are generally in the shape of a tube andcommonly consist of a scraping means forming a narrowed opening for thepassage of the brush and accommodated in the neck of the container.

Thus the brush could be inserted into the container and it could also bewiped dry during its withdrawal from the container.

Presently conventional mascara brushes, due to their generally circularshape, prevent getting near the root of the lash since they interferewith the eyelid or even with the eye itself.

It therefore is clearly preferable to use mascara applying brushescomprising one or several sheets of bristles having in a way a shape ofa tooth-brush. Thus, this type of brush will be more effective for theapplication of mascara onto the lashes of the eye.

However until now such brushes owing to their shape are not compatiblewith the present scraping systems comprising a generally circularopening which may therefore not permit the effective dry-wiping of abrush of the type or of the general shape of a tooth-brush.

Therefore the present invention has as its object to propose acontainer-brush combination which solves the hereabove problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For that purpose, the invention has as its subject a container and itsassociated brush for the application of mascara, comprising a scrapingmeans accommodated in the neck of the container to permit the insertionof the brush into the container as well as the dry-wiping of the saidbrush during its withdrawal from the container, wherein the scrapingmeans is constituted by a sleeve the wall of which is shaped so as topermit the guiding and the directing of the brush towards and into anopening with a non-circular shape and corresponding substantially to theshape of the brush itself, which also has a non-circular cross-section.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the sleevecomprises at least one substantially conical part the apex of whichconstitutes the said opening.

The aforesaid sleeve is freely rotatably mounted into the neck of thecontainer.

One thus already understands that upon the insertion of the brush, therewill occur a forced rotation of the sleeve within the neck of thecontainer so that the said brush will place itself automatically incorrespondingly registering relationship with the opening of the sleeveso that it may move through this opening.

According to another embodiment, the sleeve is mounted in stationaryrelationship within the neck of the container whereas the brush isfreely rotatably mounted onto a cap or the like for closing thecontainer.

One should further specify that the brush is made fast to a stemexhibiting in cross-section a non-circular shape correspondingsubstantially to that of the aforesaid opening in the sleeve.

According to another characteristic of this invention, the opening inthe sleeve exhibits the shape of an elongated hole whereas the brush isformed of at least one sheet of bristles extending substantially in aplane at the end of the stem.

According to another embodiment, the wall of the sleeve defines thereintwo recesses in the shape of cones opposite to each other with theirapexes where the aforesaid opening is located.

Thus, during the insertion into as well as the withdrawal from thecontainer, the brush will advantageously be guided and directed towardsand into the non-circular opening formed at the level of the apex ofboth opposite cones.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

But further advantages and characteristics of the invention will appearin the detailed description which follows and refers to the attacheddrawings given by way of example only and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in axial section of a closed container fitted with themeans according to this invention and inside of which is dipping a brushformed of one or several sheets of bristles extending along a plane atthe end of a stem carried by a cap;

FIG. 2 is a view in axial section but made along the line II--II of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a view in cross-section made along the line III--III of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sleeve fitting the neck of thecontainer;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the brush carried by itsstem made fast to the cap;

FIG. 6 is a view in cross-section of the stem along the line VI--VI ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view on a larger scale and in cross-section ofthe brush along the line VII--VII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a view in axial section on a smaller scale of anotherembodiment of the cap onto which the brush is freely rotatably mounted;

FIG. 9 partially illustrates in axial section a container the neck ofwhich is provided with a sleeve according to another alternativeembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

If one refers in particular to FIGS. 1 to 5 which show one embodiment ofthe container with the associated brush according to this invention, onesees a container 1 the externally threaded neck 2 of which is providedinside with a sleeve 3 having an opening 4, the neck 2 being closed by acap 5 carrying a stem 6 at the end of which is provided a brush 8.

The wall 7 of the sleeve 3 comprises at least one substantially conicalportion, i.e. in the example shown, two successive tapered parts 7a, 7bthe apex of which constitutes the opening 4 and this in a manner topermit the guiding and the directing of the brush 8 with its associatedstem 6 towards and into the opening 4.

Although this has not been shown, the wall 7 of the sleeve 3 could beprovided inside with a relief in the shape of a portion of a helix forexample, which will facilitate the rotation and the guiding of thearrangement constituted by the sleeve 3 and the brush 8.

As it will clearly appear on FIGS. 1 and 2, the end of the sleeve 3opposite to the opening 4 is mounted into the neck 2 of the container 1and this so that it may freely turn in this neck.

According to the example shown, the sleeve 3 is axially retained withinthe neck 2 by shoulders such as 9 without preventing the free rotationof the sleeve.

Of course means others than the shoulders 9 may be provided foraccomplishing the function described herebefore without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

The opening 4 of the sleeve 3 exhibits a non-circular shape namely forexample the shape of a rectangular or oblong hole or even of a slot asbest seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The brush 8 as best seen in FIG. 7 itself also exhibits a non-circularshape in cross-section corresponding substantially to the shape of theopening 4. This brush 8 according to the exemplary embodiment shown isformed of two sheets of bristles 8a, 8b for example carried by a metaltwist 10 itself made fast to the stem 6 fastened onto the cap 5. Thesesheets 8a, 8b are arranged in a same plane on either side of the stem 6and are formed each one of two rows of bristles.

The stem 6 as one sees it well on FIGS. 5 and 6 itself also exhibits anon-circular shape such for example as a rectangular shape correspondingsubstantially to that of the opening 4 of the sleeve 3.

One should remark that the stem 6 at the level of its connection to thebrush 8 comprises a bevelled portion 11 which on the one hand willpromote the start of the rotation of the sleeve 3 as one will describeit in detail hereinafter and which on the other hand will avoid thenipping of the bristles of the brush 8 between the wall 7 of the sleeve3 and the stem 6, which nipping would risk to cause a sudden resistanceduring the insertion of the brush into the container 1.

One understands from the foregoing that the non-circular shape of theopening 4 of the sleeve 3 will correspond substantially to the alsonon-circular shape in cross-section of the stem 6 as well as of thebrush 8.

For a better understanding of the invention, one will briefly explainthe operation of the assembly which has just been described, in thefollowing.

The cap 5 having been unscrewed from the neck 2 of the container 1, whenone desires after a making-up operation to reinsert the brush 8 into thecontainer 1, the brush guided by the wall 7 of the sleeve 3 will cause arotation of the latter until the brush 8 in correspondingly registeringrelationship with the oblong opening 4 so that the said brush and thestem 6 will move through the said opening, it being understood thatduring the screwing of the cap 5 onto the neck 2, the stem 6 and itsassociated brush 8 will turn within the neck 2 while rotating the sleeve3 which is loosely mounted within the neck. It will result therefromthat in the closed position of the container 1, the opening 4 and thestem 6 will be positively retained in correspondingly matingrelationship so that when one desires to use the brush 8, the withdrawalof the latter after unscrewing of the cap 5 will result in that the saidbrush may be withdrawn by passing through the opening 4 without anydifficulty.

In addition, it is important to remark here that the dry-wiping of thebrush 8 during its withdrawal and its passage through the opening 4 willbe particularly effective owing to the substantially identical shapes ofthe said opening and of the said brush and this although the brush isflat hence with a non-circular symmetry and therefore not lending wellitself owing to its shape to a dry-wiping by moving through a circularopening. Moreover the dry-wiping will be perfect, i.e. neither to strongnor insufficient.

According to another embodiment, the sleeve 3 could be mounted instationary relationship for example by being force-fitted into the neck2 of the container 1.

In this case, the stem 6 carrying the brush 6 should be freely rotatablymounted in the cap 5 as this is shown on FIG. 8.

According to the exemplary embodiment shown on this Figure, one seesthat the stem 6 comprises at its end opposite to that carrying the brush8 two transverse shoulders 12 retaining it axially within the cap 5while permitting it to freely turn in this cap. One indeed sees that thestep 6 extends with its portion 13 which has a circular section betweenboth shoulders 12, through an aperture 14 with a slightly greaterdiameter and formed in a transverse wall 15 forming an integral part ofthe cap 5. But one perfectly could without departing from the scope ofthe invention imagine any other alternative embodiment permitting theaxial retaining and the free rotation of the stem 6 in the cap 5.

Thus with the sleeve 3 mounted in stationary relationship within theneck 2 of the container, when one will insert the stem 6 and itsassociated brush into the container 1, the sleeve 7 will of course notturn but it is the brush 8 and the stem 6 which will turn with respectto the cap 5 and this under the effect of the substantially conicalshape of the wall 7 of the sleeve 3 until at last the brush 8 comes incorrespondingly registering relationship with the opening 4 so that itmay move through this opening.

During the withdrawal of the brush from the container 1, the stem 6owing to its shape corresponding to that of the opening 4 in the sleeve3 will permit the passage of the brush 8 through the opening 4 forundergoing the desired dry-wiping as previously explained since thebristles will co-operate with the edges of this opening which, as onceagain said, exhibits a contour with a shape corresponding to that to theenvelope of the brush.

Referring to the alternative embodiment illustrated by FIG. 9, one seeshere that the sleeve 3 within the neck 2 of the container 1 comprises awall 7 defining two recesses 16, 17 in the shape of cones opposite toeach other with their apex where is located the opening 4 previouslydescribed and having an oblong and substantially rectangular shapecorresponding substantially to the shape in cross-section of the brush.

The sleeve 3 may here be mounted in stationary or even freely rotatablerelationship within the neck 2, the recesses 16 and 17 facilitating theinsertion of the brush into the container 1 and its withdrawal from thesaid container, respectively. One should remark that in this alternativeembodiment, the cross-section of the stem carrying the brush could be ofany shape including a circular shape.

One has thus provided according to the invention a container with anassociated brush having a shape particularly adapted to carry out aneffective application of mascara onto the lashes, which containerpermits to carry out an effective and uniform dry-wiping of this brushduring withdrawal from the container although this brush has anon-circular section.

The invention is of course not at all limited to the embodimentsdescribed and illustrated which have been given by way of example only.

Thus the shape in cross-section of the brush and of the stem whichcarries it as well as the shape of the opening in the sleeve made fastto the neck of the container may assume any asymmetrical shape oncondition that the shapes of these various elements be substantiallycorresponding shapes. Likewise the fastening of the bristles of thebrush onto the stem and the turning or non-turning fastening of the stemonto the cap may be of any kind. Moreover the brush could be replacedwith any like applicator element requiring a dry-wiping such as a comb,small brush, flexible blade, foam or other one.

This means that the invention comprises all the technical equivalents ofthe means described as well as their combinations if the latter arewithin the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:
 1. A container and brush member assembly comprising:a containerfor mascara material having a neck; a sleeve freely and rotatablymounted within the neck for wiping at least a portion of the brushmember, said sleeve having a wall including at least one substantiallyconical portion, the apex of which has an oblong opening; and a brushmember having a brush on a first end, a cap on a second end, and a stemtherebetween with a cross-section substantially conforming in shape tothe opening and fixedly attached to the cap, whereby insertion of thebrush member into the container provides a rotation of the sleeve untilthe brush member and the opening are correspondingly aligned so that thebrush member may move through the opening.
 2. The container and brushmember assembly of claim 1, wherein the wall of the sleeve includes afirst conical part having a first apex followed by a second conical partconnected to the first apex and having a second apex including saidopening.
 3. The container and brush member assembly of claim 1, whereinthe wall of said sleeve defines two cones with their apexes opposite toeach other, and said opening is located between said apexes.
 4. Thecontainer and brush member assembly of claim 1, wherein the stemincludes a beveled portion at the end which connects to the brush.
 5. Acontainer for mascara material having a neck;a sleeve fixedly mountedwithin the neck for wiping at least a portion of the brush member, saidsleeve having a wall including at least one substantially conicalportion, the apex of which has an oblong opening; and a brush memberhaving a brush on a first end, a cap on a second end, and a stemtherebetween with a cross-section substantially conforming in shape tothe opening and attached to the cap having a means for axially retainingsaid stem while permitting free rotation of the stem within the cap,whereby the insertion of said brush member into the container willprovide a forced rotation of the sleeve until the brush member and theopening are correspondingly aligned so that the brush member assemblymay move through the opening.
 6. The container and brush member assemblyof claim 5, wherein the wall of the sleeve includes a first conical parthaving a first apex followed by a second conical part connected to thefirst apex and having a second apex including said opening.
 7. Thecontainer and brush member assembly of claim 5, wherein the wall of saidsleeve defines two cones with their apexes opposite to each other, andsaid opening is located between said apexes.
 8. The container and brushmember assembly of claim 5, wherein the stem includes a beveled portionat the end which connects to the brush.